Milksharing happens with or without Facebook

In case anyone thinks that the only milksharing that goes on is through organized Facebook or Internet sites, here's a reminder that it happens all the time, between friends and family, as it has done for for millennia.

Did I Just Ask For Some of Her Breast Milk? Yes, Yes I Did. | Preconception health, anxiety & depression, and childcare. Do Not Faint: Did I Just Ask For Some of Her Breast Milk? Yes, Yes I Did.

On the same day I learned that I won’t be able to safely breast feed while taking benzodiazepines, I also learned that a dear friend is just eight-weeks pregnant with her second child. After thoroughly researching breast milk sharing and thinking about it for a couple days, I decided to ask her. Ok, I asked her via email. But I wanted to give her time to think about.

Calgary Mothers Milk Bank to begin screening moms for donation in December, 2011

CBC Radio interview with Calgary Mothers Milk Bank head Jannette Festival

CBC Radio recently interviewed Jannette Festival, executive director of the soon-to-open Calgary Mothers Milk Bank, which plans to begin screening moms December 1st. They hope to have their pasteurizer up and running in January. Calgary hasn't had a milk bank since the early '80s.

Festival says project was spurred by the updated statement from the Canadian Paediatric Society in the fall of 2010 calling for a network of milk banks to be opened across the country to provide pasteurized donor milk is the impetus for the project. She says they have a financial donor who has provided funding for the first year of operation for the mik bank.

Festival says her ultimate goal is to see breastfeeding rates increase because people are more aware of the value of human milk - the bank will validate how important human milk is. For year one they are hoping to collect and process 40,000 ounces. She refers to milk as "a scare commodity...if we get 40,000 we'll need 80,000 if we get 80,000 we'll need 120,000...we want to supply it to all babies who need it across the province." Festival is sure the demand will be there, citing the shortage of human milk in the US noting the Austin milk bank pasteurized 300,000 ounces last year and is short, and the San Jose milk bank produced 500,000 ounces and "they just don't have enough."

Smart phone tech to improve donor human milk donation safety - Gates Foundation funds South African research

How cool is this? A grant to explore smart phone technology that will monitor and validate the temperature of human milk during flash-heating in order to ensure its safety. The money comes from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and the work is being done by a multidisciplinary team including the Computer Science and Engineering department at the University of Washington and the Human Milk Banking Association of South Africa.

Health News - Boosting infant nutrition through cell phone technology: Boosting infant nutrition through cell phone technology
08/11/2011 03:22:00

PATH will lead a new research project to develop a low-cost, cell phone–based system for human milk banks to monitor the safety of donated breast milk, supported by a $100,000 grant from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation’s Grand Challenges Explorations initiative.

The system combines the power of cell phone technology with the simplicity of a low-tech flash-heating pasteurization process to ensure that breast milk donated to feed vulnerable infants is free of bacteria and viruses, including HIV, while retaining its nutritional value.

Developing a prototype monitoring system
The 12-month grant was made to a multidisciplinary team that includes PATH and two partner organizations—the Department of Computer Science and Engineering at the University of Washington and the Human Milk Banking Association of South Africa.

The team will develop and field-test a networked temperature sensing system using FoneAstra, a cell phone technology, to accurately monitor and validate temperatures during flash-heating. It will provide real-time, audiovisual feedback to users, allow automated supervisor monitoring, and archive results for review and audit....

March of Dimes, Susan G. Komen and now Make-A-Wish affiliate with Prolacta

"StreetInsider.com - Prolacta Bioscience Becomes Sponsor of Make-A-Wish Foundation: Prolacta Bioscience Becomes Sponsor of Make-A-Wish Foundation


November 8, 2011 9:22 AM EST
MONROVIA, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Prolacta Bioscience has announced that it has become a sponsor of the Make-A-Wish Foundation. Prolacta is the first and only company to offer human milk fortifier (HMF) made from 100% human breast milk for critically ill, premature infants...."

Mom turns from donating her milk to Prolacta to making her own profit

Here's a news item about a mom who started out donating to Prolacta and then decided to sell her milk through OnlyTheBreast, which is a US-based for-profit website with a UK division that coordinates forums where buyers an sellers of milk can connect.

Breast Milk For Sale: What's All The Hype? | Fox News: ...Mosbarger had an oversupply—often filling quart-sized bags and filling up three freezers worth of milk. She decided to become certified by the National Milk Bank and Prolacta Bioscience and donated about 1,000 ounces of milk. She then realized that she could cover her pumping costs, continue to help other babies, and make some extra cash if she sold her milk too. So using her certification as a marketing tool, she put an ad on onlythebreast.com and set her prices—$2 an ounce for frozen and $5 an ounce for fresh.

She had inquiries within a week and now has ongoing relationships with two moms she sends milk to on a monthly basis—a total of about 300-400 ounces. In about one month, Mosbarger estimates her profit to be approximately $1,500, after she’s covered her costs for pumping and storing....